Built Environment

Mycelium bricks, boards and insulation

Facts

This is a building material which was first developed in 2007.

The Biodiversity Fingerprint is achieved by preventing the use of polluting materials and that the material is composted at the end of its life, creating nutrients and soil which can be used to support the lives of other living things.

  • “A mycelium brick is an organic brick that is formed from organic waste and the mycelium of fungus. Mycelium are the thin root-like fibres from fungi which run underneath the ground, when dried it can be used as a super strong, water, mould and fire resistant building material that can be grown into specific forms, thus reducing the processing requirements.” - Source

  • “The mycelium brick has slowly been developed and is created much the same as other mycelium products, by adding mycelium to crop waste collected by farmers, it is then poured into moulds and grown and dried into a sturdy material, the brick takes roughly five days to grow and become usable.” - Source

  • “Its compressive strength is around 30 psi which in comparison to the 4000 psi compressive strength of concrete is dramatically less. However, relative to its weight a mycelium brick is stronger than concrete with a cubic metre of mycelium brick weighing 43 kg and a cubic metre of concrete weighing 2400 kg.” - Source

  • “Mycelium has already been used in a variety of forms on a smaller scale, such as packaging, with companies such as IKEA and Dell using it as an alternative to polystyrene which takes decades to naturally break down and poses great difficulty when trying to recycle it.” - Source 

  • “Other applications of mycelium include a composite board (Myco-board) which can be used much like MDF without the extremely dangerous formaldehyde which can cause respiratory illness if inhaled when sawn.” - Source 

  • “Through bio fabrication a carbon neutral building process can be achieved eliminating such products as artificial insulation used in walls, MDF and other non load bearing structures.” - Source 

  • “Mycelium-based blocks are 80 times cheaper than cement- and gypsum-based blocks.” - Source

  • “Biological construction materials can reduce carbon emissions nearly by 800 million tons per year.” - Source

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Hempcrete and Hemp Bioplastic

Facts

  • “Hemp is a pioneer species, being able to establish itself very well in poor nutrient and poorly structured soils. For this reason it can be a good plant to create soil structure and create soil organic carbon, nutrients and microbial life which can make the soil more amenable to other species. In the process of growing hemp organically, biodiversity can be enhanced by the creation of soil habitats around the relatively deep root systems of the hemp. As well as supporting soil microbes such as bacteria and fungi and the ecology of microorganisms which live around them, the root systems of hemp which remain after harvest can improve water infiltration and retention, supporting other plants and animals and protecting against flood or drought. If the hemp is grown in a no-till system then this support it provides to the local hydrology can be sustained longer than just when the hemp is growing. Using hemp also prevents use of polluting construction materials which have a damaging impact on biodiversity.

    The abundant production of pollen on hemp supports pollinators, with more than 20 genera of bees found on industrial fields of hemp. In some regions the hemp flowers at a time when there is a dearth of other flowering plants, providing the bees food at a time when it is scarce. These pollinators are supported by hemp and can go on to fertlise other plant species beyond the hemp plantations, supporting biodiversity further afield.” - Source

  • “The woody inner section of the plant's stem, called shives, is processed into hempcrete by chopping it up and mixing it with lime.” - Source

  • "Industrial hemp absorbs between 8 to 15 tonnes of CO2 per hectare of cultivation" - Source

  • “Hemp is becoming increasingly sought-after by architects looking for natural, carbon-storing products. However, UK farmers are battling to legally cultivate the crop.

    Hemp farmers need a hard-to-obtain Home Office licence to grow hemp, which is restricted by drug-control laws.
    This is despite the fact that industrial hemp, which is a variety of cannabis, contains very low levels of the psychoactive agent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that is present in sister plant marijuana.

    "We've probably had three or four hundred architects who have emailed us," said Barron. "They're desperate for a natural material and a carbon-zero way of building houses. Everybody's looking for it. The market's definitely there but it needs deregulation.” - Source

  • “In 2006 the Suffolk brewer Adnams took the brave decision to build the UK’s first commercial hempcrete project, a 4,500m² distribution warehouse near Southwold…Adnams subsequently reported that the building was using 40% less electricity and 10% less gas per m² compared with its old distribution centre.” - Source

  • “In 2012 M&S went nearly 10 times bigger with a 42,000m² hempcrete superstore in Cheshire Oaks as part of its Plan A sustainability strategy. After a year’s monitoring M&S reported that the store was producing 40% fewer carbon emissions than an equivalent, conventionally built store. The retailer said the hempcrete walls helped the store lose less than 1°C overnight compared with 9°C in other store environments.” - Source

  • “It has been used for non-domestic projects including the walls of Bradford University’s Bright Building, achieving the highest BREEAM rating ever for a university building in 2015.” - Source

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Straw

Facts

  • “Straw is the bi-product from producing cereals such as wheat, barley or rice. Cereals are annual crops, being harvested at the end of a growing season with the seeds needing to be planted again for them to regrow. After harvest the common practice is to plough (often referred to as tilling) the land to prevent weeds from taking hold and to prepare for the next crop. If the cereals are farmed in this way then their Biodiversity Fingerprint is likely to be poor. However, if the cereals have been farmed using no-till as part of an agroforestry system then farming them can support biodiversity. During the growth period, if the cereals are farmed organically, the cereals’ root structures distribute sugars into the soil which feed bacteria and fungi that in turn support a whole ecology of soil microorganisms. After harvest, if the roots are left in the ground as part of a no-till system then the soil organic carbon has been increased and the soil ecology can continue to flourish with the next plants seeded by the farmer. This supports biodiversity on-farm. The soil ecology of microorganisms goes on to feed larger organisms such as mammals and small birds which leave the farm and operate as part of a broader ecology.

    At the end of their useful life straw building materials can be composted, creating soil which can go on to support other terrestrial life.

    Using straw instead of toxic and non-biodegradable insulating and wall materials prevents those toxins from being released into the environment and damaging biodiversity

    Straw can be used for thatched rooves, which provide exceptional insulation and only need to be replaced once every 20 or 30 years. They can also be used in bales, blocks or panels to construct the walls of a building.

    The techniques used for straw bale construction usually involve stacking rows of bales on a raised footing or foundation. A capillary break or moisture barrier is inserted between the supporting platform and the bales. Pins made of bamboo or timber can be used to tie bale walls together, or surface wire mesh can be used.

    The bale wall is then stuccoed or plastered using either a lime-based formulation or earth/clay render, depending on the local climatic conditions. For example, in wet climates, a vapour-permeable finish may be preferred to a cement-based stucco.

    Straw bales can be designed to provide load-bearing structural support to a building, as well as lateral and shear resistance to wind and seismic loads. They can also be designed to serve as an insulation substrate, with a separate, load-bearing structural frame, typically made from timber. By building a skeletal framework first, a basic roof structure can be installed which protects the bale wall during construction when it may otherwise be at risk of water damage.” - Source

  • “Based on monitoring a residential straw-bale development in Leeds, fuel bill reductions up to 90% can be expected.” - Source

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